Shelf for 3023 storage Compartment

AS I WAS GOING OVER MY 3023 FOR THE PAST WEEK , I BEGAN TO LOAD HER UP FOR OUR FIRST TRIP, I NOTICED THAT THE STORAGE COMPARTMENT IN THE REAR OF THE 3023 IS AMPLE IS SIZE , BUT IT IS UNHANDY BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOAD THINGS IN THERE IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYTHING IS JUST PILED UP ON EACH OTHER AND YOU HAVE TO UNLOAD ALMOST EVERYTHING TO GET TO SOMETHING STORED ON THE BOTTOM, FRUSTRATING : SO I THOUGHT THIS NEEDS IMPROVING, AND THAT IS A SHELF DIVIDING IT IN HALF.

WELL I WENT TO BOTH OF THE LOCAL BUILDERS SUPPLY THE BIG RED ONE AND THE BIG BLUE ONE AND COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING THAT WOULD SUFFICE.

ON THE WAY HOME, ;D I REMEMBERED THAT I HAD TWO 3/4 INCH STAIR TREADS LEFT OVER FROM A HOME IMPROVMENT PROJECT. I STARTED TO DO SOME MEASURING AND LOW AND BEHOLD FOUND THAT THE STAIR TREAD WOULD FIT PERFECTLY IN THE STORAGE COMPARTMENT ON THE 3023 ALL I HAD TO DO WAS TRIM THE LENGTH TO 33".

NOW THE STAIR TREAD IS 33" LONG AND 11" WIDE FOR THE SHELF, AND I HAD THREE PIECES LEFT OVER THAT WERE 11" HIGH AND 11" WIDE THAT I USED FOR THE SUPPORTS.

[glow=red,2,300](WORD OF CAUTION YOU CANNOT BUILD THE SHELF OUT SIDE AND PUT IT IN, IT WON'T GO IN, HOWEVER IT IS BEST TO PRE-DRILL THE HOLES FOR THE SCREWS.) [/glow]

I THEN PLACED THE TWO END SUPPORTS UP AGAINST EACH WALL AND PUT THE SHELF IN AND SCREWED IT IN PLACE THEN ADDED THE MIDDLE SUPPORT WHERE I THOUGHT IT WOULD WORK FOR ME AND SCREWED IT IN PLACE.

;DVOILA ;D, MY SHELF WAS DONE AND IT ONLY TOOK THIRTY MINUTES TO FINISH.

I SUPPOSE SMALLER MATERIAL WOULD HAVE WORKED FINE, BUT I ALREADY HAD THIS AND IT WAS PAID FOR AND I THINK THE 3/4 INCH MATERIAL WILL LAST FOR A LONG TIME.

AS AN ADDENDUM, SINCE I DID NOT KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WAS BEHIND THE WALLS I DID NOT DARE TO SCREW INTO THE SIDE WALLS WITH ANYTHING SO I USED TWO SHIMS ON EACH SIDE TO TAKE UP ANY OF THE SLACK FOR THE CARPET LIKE MATERIAL ON THE WALLS. SO NOW I HAVE MY SHELF AND EVERYTHING IS SNUG AND SECURE, HAVE A PLACE FOR ALMOST ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING IS IN ITS PLACE.

I PULLED THE SHELF FORWARD TOWARD THE DOOR WHICH LEFT A SPACE BEHIND THE SHELF TO DROP OR PLACE OBJECTS LIKE HOSES, ELECTRIC CORDS, CRANKS ETC.

DO NOT HAVE A DIGITAL CAMERA BUT IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN PIC'S I WILL BORROW ONE AND POST

[Bill]

Mr. Bill -

Nice idea! I had the same problem with my 2720 - the compartment is wide and tall, but not deep - probably not even as deep as yours. Everything ended up in a tangled heap on the floor. One day I looked at all the stuff, and found that there were two kinds of stuff. The first is stuff in boxes (mech toolbox, elec toolbox, small vac in a box, shoebox of firewood kindling, etc). The second is stuff that coils up - two freshwater hoses (short and long), cable TV cable, two extension cords (heavy duty and lightweight), cord for my solar panels, etc. I think I have more coil stuff than you do.

Anyway, as Pam noted in another thread, we each customize our rigs to our own particular needs. I thought of the WalMart plastic shelves like those that MikeD showed back in January, but in my case, it just didn't seem like it would solve the problem. Instead, I simply attached half a dozen short velcro straps to the framing at the top of the compartment's forward wall. Now, the boxed stuff stacks nicely on the floor of the compartment, while the coiled stuff hangs above it in the velcro loops. Finally, I can get to anything I want, quickly and easily. What a relief!

The attached picture is really 3 views into the storage compartment - left, center, and right.

To each his own!

Bill